Morzan
Morzan was a Dragon Rider, and the first of the Forsworn that served King Galbatorix. He was the husband of Selena, the holder of Zar'roc, and the father of Murtagh, who became the greatest of all the Empire's supporters. Although he does not make a physical appearance in the books (having been killed long before they started), his legacy has a lasting impact on Eragon's quest. History As a Rider , Morzan's sword.]] Before his betrayal of the Riders and his service to Galbatorix, Morzan was the best friend of Brom, who held nothing but admiration for him. But, as Brom later said, he was "strong in body, but weak in mind". The name of Morzan's dragon is unknown due to the Banishing of the Names or Du Namar Aurboda, a magic spell cast by the dragons to strip the dragons belonging to the Forsworn of their names. Because of the red color of his sword, Zar'roc, it is safe to assume that Morzan's dragon was red. Morzan and his dragon eventually betrayed the order to Galbatorix, becoming the first of the Forsworn. As a Forsworn Morzan met Galbatorix, who was at that time a fugitive, under unspecified circumstances. Galbatorix convinced him of leaving the door open at Ilirea (now Urû'baen). Why Morzan would grant a request for a notorious enemy of the Riders, or even speak with him, is unknown, but it could suggest hatred, diliberate disobediance, a thirst for more power which he could get under Galbatorix, contempt for the Riders/elders/elves on Morzan's part, or a former friendship beween Galbatorix and Morzan. Once inside Ilirea, Galbatorix stole a dragon hatchling to replace the dragon he lost. Afterwards, Morzan followed him to an evil place Riders' didn't go. Morzan had an obscure teaching there, learning the secrets Galbatorix had gained from a Shade. Several years later, when Galbatorix revealed himself to the world, Morzan stood faithfully by his side. They fought any Rider they met, recruited some into their service, founded the order known as the Forsworn, and destroyed the Dragon riders. Eighty years later, Morzan met a woman named Selena, showed her a small kindness to gain her confidence, and later enlisted her as his Black Hand. After about three years, she became pregnant with his child. Because the other Forsworn might use Selena and the child against him, Morzan hid her in his castle, which he protected using powerful spells. Morzan then became the only known one of the Thirteen Forsworn to have a child. When the child, Murtagh, was born, Morzan kept him and Selena separated, allowing her to visit her son only occasionally. After another three years, he threw his sword in a drunken rampage, and hit Murtagh, leaving him with a a very large scar. About Fifteen years before the Rider War, Morzan hunted down Hefring and retrieved the stolen dragon egg from him. Shortly after, he dueled Brom and was killed. Brom then took Morzan's sword, Zar'roc, and fled. Personal information Physical appearance Morzan was tall, with broad shoulders. His hair was as black as a raven's feathers, and his eyes were different colors: one blue, one black. He was handsome, but his cruelty and haughtiness were apparent even in his appearance. Morzan was also missing the tip of one of his fingers. Personality Why Morzan joined the Forsworn is unknown; it may have been out of a desire for power or revenge against a perceived wrong, or loyalty to Galbatorix/disloyalty to the Riders, or several other reasons. As the first and last of the Forsworn, Morzan was both powerful and cruel; this is evidenced by the fact that he threw his sword Zar'roc at his three-year-old son, Murtagh, in a fit of drunken rage. This might have actually been an accident, rather than intentional child abuse, but would in that case show that, at the very least, Morzan was clumsy, careless, and irresponsible. Powers Since Morzan has not made a physical appearance in the books, the extent of his powers cannot be certain. It is likely that he was very skilled at swordplay, mental powers, and magic, since he was a Dragon Rider and slew many others of the order. He also learned dark magic from Galbatorix and probably was given some of the Eldunari, making him even stronger. However, it is confirmed he was not as powerful as Murtagh became. However, based on what Brom and Oromis have said about him, Morzan was weak in mind. Though he was probably fairly intelligent can cunning, he was likely impulsive and impatient. Oromis said he would devise the most cunning of spells, but overlook a crucial detail in the process. Family See Morzan family. Children, and the Time Gap problem As revealed in Eldest, it is possible that Eragon may be his son. Also in the synopsis of Eragon at the beginning of Eldest, it says that Eragon is fifteen and that Brom and Jeod stole the egg twenty years ago and killed Morzan in the process, making a five year gap between his death and Eragon's birth, thus it makes no sense for Morzan to be Eragon's father. However, the same could be said for Murtagh; his 'last birthday' as of Eragon was his eighteenth, which would put his birth a year or two after Morzan's death if the 'twenty years' number is correct. Thus, if the 'twenty years' is not just an estimate or a 'rounded up' number of years (like saying 'last decade' to mean 'seven years ago'), it is impossible for Morzan to have thrown his sword at a three-year-old Murtagh. In actuality, though, there is no time gap problem. Orik stated clearly in Eldest that Morzan died a decade and a half ago, so he actually died fifteen or sixteen years before the Rider War, thus making it possible for Morzan to be Eragon's father. Also, Brom and Jeod did not kill Morzan when they stole the egg. After the egg was stolen, Morzan was sent to search for it. We don't know how long he was looking before he ended up fighting Brom and dying. It should be safe to assume that Morzan returned to court periodically to report to Galbatorix, possibly to renew his energy and supplies, and to check up on Selena. Therefore the timeframe does work out. However, in Brisingr, it was revealed that Morzan wasn't Eragon's father anyway; his father was Brom. Speculation Cause of death and thievery of Zar'roc How Morzan specifically died is unknown, but in the movie adaption of Eragon, Brom said he took Zar'roc (it doesn’t make much sense why Brom would do this other than he somehow lost his own sword during the duel) and stabbed him in the heart. However, in Brisingr it says Brom lost his sword while fighting on his dragon. So that means he didn't have a good sword, so it is only right(in Brom's mind, at least) that he took Morzan's sword, considering he himself did not have one. Race Morzan may have been an elf. This is unlikely, though, since Murtagh displayed no elvish traits. It also seems unlikely that an elf, one of Galbatorix's greatest enemies, would join him and help to destroy the mostly elvish order of Dragon Riders. Finally, much of Morzan's destructive, cruel behavior seems uncharacteristic of elves. Morzan may have also been a Shade. This is because Brom stabbed Morzan in the heart, which is the only way to kill a Shade. Though Brom said a list of names of Shadeslayers, not of which included himself, he may have changed his original name and had been one. He also could have simply omitted his name from the list. However, this is unlikely as well because something said in the movie is never confirmed unless also said in the book, though it should be considered unless the author states otherwise Brom killed Morzan. Also, in Brisingr p. 641, Oromis tells Eragon that throughout history, never has there been a Shade who was also a Rider. (It is in response to Eragon asking Oromis to teach him to summon spirits. ~NanMcD) The missing finger A prominant feature of Morzan's was that he was missing the tip of one of his fingers. The reason for this is unknown. It was most likely cut off during a battle. However, it should be noted that during medieval times, people's hands or fingers were sometimes cut off if they were caught stealing. This could possibly imply that before he became Rider at age ten, Morzan was a thief, who lost a finger for stealing. Such a rough early history would fit in with his later behavior. Comparisons Since Galbatorix can be compared to Palpatine from Star Wars, Morzan, as a man close to the king (at least having the right to live in the court), can be compared to Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader: * Both were corrupted and betrayed many of their own Order (Morzan was corrupted by Galbatorix and betrayed and murdered his fellow Dragon Riders, as Anakin was corrupted by Palpatine and murdered his fellow Jedi Knights). * Both were proposed at some point to be the father of the main hero.(Though Morzan wasn't really Eragon's father.) * Both generated children who later turned against their side (Morzan is the father of Murtagh), who turned against the Empire at least for a few months, while Anakin was the father of Luke and Leia, who turned against the Galactic Empire). * The only two differences are that, while Anakin, then Darth Vader, died to save his son from Palpatine, Morzan died at Brom's hands, and that Murtagh quickly returned to the Empire after only a little while of fighting alongside Eragon. Morzan, as a cruel wizard tyrant in the service of a greater dark power, is also similar to Darken Rahl of the Sword of Truth series. * Both were described as tall, handsome, and strong, yet haughty and cruel behind that facade. * Both were proposed at some point to be the main hero's father.(Though Morzan wasn't really Eragon's father.) * Both were powerful tyrants with magic who were in the serivce of an even darker lord.(Morzan served Galbatorix; Darken Rahl served the Keeper of the Underworld.) * Both generated children who were the half-siblings of the main hero, and would eventually turn against that hero.(Morzan was the father of Murtagh, who had the same mother as Eragon and became his enemy; Darken Rahl was the father of Jennsen and Oba Rahl, both of whom had the same father as Richard Rahl and became his enemies.) See also *Morzan Family *Forsworn *Morzan's insignia Category:Characters Category:Humans Category:Dragon Riders Category:Imperials Category:Males Category:Dark magic users es:Morzan